At some point, while learning the basics of the greenside bunker game, you likely learned to open your stance—aiming left of the target to compensate for your open clubface.
This approach may have worked years ago, but with modern wedges, those old-school techniques no longer apply. In fact, if you’re still aiming to putt in the bunker, it could be killing your sand play.
As Keith Bennett, an instructor at McCormick Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale, explains in a recent Instagram post (which you can check out below), the goal is to keep your energy moving toward the target. Aiming left makes it much harder to pull off and hinders your ability to finish properly on target.
“When we open,” he says, “we’re going to do some terrible things to put it all together.
“When I’m open to the left like that, I’m going to have to try to get my shoulder off, get the swing direction more toward the target line, toward that flag.”
These offsets often cause the club to enter the sand too early, leading to chipped shots – or even random blades. Aiming left can also create bad habits that are hard to break in the bunker.
“I’m also more likely to pull the handle to keep that working ball on the target line,” says Bennett.
Two setup keys for a better bunker game
Instead of opening up your stance and body, Bennett recommends focusing on two simple set-up keys: start the square and lower the handle.
Placing square on the target line allows the clubhead to release the ball naturally.
“(When we’re on the fairway) the energy of the club coming down the target line, and if you’re spraying sand toward the target, you can make that nice, shallow split,” he says.
Lowering the handle is important because it helps compensate for an open face.
“If you lower the handle, the face starts to get squarer to the target line,” he says.
The end result is a high and soft bunker shot that splashes towards the flag. With more practice, you should feel not only more stable, but also safer from the sand.
